I thought I was ready for anything when I agreed to a fancy first date. But when my match ordered the most expensive thing on the menu and then refused to pay, I faced a choice that would test my patience, my pride, and reveal what really matters in dating.
At 32, I thought I would be able to spot a train wreck before it hit.
I would like to say I saw it coming with Chloe, but I wanted this night to go right so badly, I ignored every early sign.
I’d been off the dating scene for a while. The last serious relationship ended quietly, like a candle burning down to nothing in an empty room. The months after were not lonely, exactly.
They were just… muted. My life was all about days spent at work, evenings catching up on shows I’d already seen, and friends texting less and less because everyone’s busy, or married, or both.
I would like to say I saw it coming with Chloe,
My sister, Erin, was the one who finally pushed me to try again. “You’re too decent to be sitting at home, Evan. Get back out there, bro. It’s not the apocalypse, you know.”
She made me download dating apps on a rainy Thursday, and we sat at my kitchen counter swiping and joking until my stomach hurt.
“Wow. These women sure are confident, Ev.”
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